Thailand Wanderings and the Men's Tracks Bracelet
What Exactly is Thai Silver?
Tracks Bracelet
My fascination for Thai silver began in 2001 when I made my first journey there. This was a study abroad trip where we'd visit places like Turkey, Austria, and Guatemala. Our classes were based in real life observations of cultures things that can not be learned in a classroom. Discussions would take place on hammocks, in hookah bars, or flowered court yards. This was a trip that changed me forever, and of all the places we went, Thailand captured a part of my being. It not only swelled my heart but it changed the way I'd think forever.
We'd spent hours hiking into the jungle heading farther and farther north when we reached our destination. A small village near the border where we'd spend the next few days with the people there. Grinding rice with a foot powered pestle, helping farmers plant their fields and digging for bamboo shoots. Our cups for the week we made of bamboo we'd carved as we sat on the porches and learned the traditional weaving. While in the background we heard gunfire from the border and fought off the mosquitos that constantly fed on me. All the while trying to remember to duck as I entered a structure or keep my feet tucked up under the mosquito net. I'm quite a bit taller than the average person there and definitely ended up hitting my head on more than one occasion or waking up with bites covering my exposed feet.
I remember watching a few kids playing there. Running through a field with a piece of string floating in an inverted arc through the air. As on little boy ran he tripped on a rock and then spent minutes on the ground. We went over to make sure he was ok and saw what had been on the end of that arc. A huge horned beetle that had been leashed around the neck with the string now lay in two pieces. The fall had killed it and the children seemed to think that if they could just get the pieces lined up again their playmate would be back in action. It was such a real world experience of learning about death that it always still gives me pause.
I'd later make two more trips to Thailand and have hopes for another. Those mountains stole my heart and this bracelet is my homage to that. Thai silver is 99.9% silver a higher content of silver than sterling which is .925. I like it because of it's color and sheen, it has a different feel to it. Slightly more grey and less shiny it always has an elegant matte finish. The Tracks bracelet is available in three options, plain silver, a shorty version, or with a stone to commemorate special events in your life. Your wife or child's birthstone, or perhaps the stone for the month you got married? and of course, you choice of brown or black leather. Check them out here and get your holiday shopping done early!
So, now you know the story of the Tracks bracelet and I'm curious, how have your wanderings changed your life or way of thinking? Where's next on your agenda? Leave a comment below because I'd love to hear from you.
If you'd like to hear some Thai buddhist chanting that brings another dimension to these memories might I suggest this link.